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Chapter 256B

Section 256B.0915

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256B.0915 Medicaid waiver for home and community-based services.

Subdivision 1. Authority. The commissioner is authorized to apply for a home and community-based services waiver for the elderly, authorized under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act, in order to obtain federal financial participation to expand the availability of services for persons who are eligible for medical assistance. The commissioner may apply for additional waivers or pursue other federal financial participation which is advantageous to the state for funding home care services for the frail elderly who are eligible for medical assistance. The provision of waivered services to elderly and disabled medical assistance recipients must comply with the criteria approved in the waiver.

Subd. 1a. Elderly waiver case management services. Elderly case management services under the home and community-based services waiver for elderly individuals are available from providers meeting qualification requirements and the standards specified in subdivision 1b. Eligible recipients may choose any qualified provider of elderly case management services.

Subd. 1b. Provider qualifications and standards. The commissioner must enroll qualified providers of elderly case management services under the home and community-based waiver for the elderly under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act. The enrollment process shall ensure the provider's ability to meet the qualification requirements and standards in this subdivision and other federal and state requirements of this service. An elderly case management provider is an enrolled medical assistance provider who is determined by the commissioner to have all of the following characteristics:

(1) the demonstrated capacity and experience to provide the components of case management to coordinate and link community resources needed by the eligible population;

(2) administrative capacity and experience in serving the target population for whom it will provide services and in ensuring quality of services under state and federal requirements;

(3) a financial management system that provides accurate documentation of services and costs under state and federal requirements;

(4) the capacity to document and maintain individual case records under state and federal requirements; and

(5) the county may allow a case manager employed by the county to delegate certain aspects of the case management activity to another individual employed by the county provided there is oversight of the individual by the case manager. The case manager may not delegate those aspects which require professional judgment including assessments, reassessments, and care plan development.

Subd. 1c. Case management activities under the state plan. The commissioner shall seek an amendment to the home and community-based services waiver for the elderly to implement the provisions of subdivisions 1a and 1b. If the commissioner is unable to secure the approval of the secretary of health and human services for the requested waiver amendment by December 31, 1993, the commissioner shall amend the medical assistance state plan to provide that case management provided under the home and community-based services waiver for the elderly is performed by counties as an administrative function for the proper and effective administration of the state medical assistance plan. Notwithstanding section 256.025, subdivision 3, the state shall reimburse counties for the nonfederal share of costs for case management performed as an administrative function under the home and community-based services waiver for the elderly.

Subd. 1d. Posteligibility treatment of income and resources for elderly waiver. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 256B.056, the commissioner shall make the following amendment to the medical assistance elderly waiver program effective July 1, 1997, or upon federal approval, whichever is later.

A recipient's maintenance needs will be an amount equal to the Minnesota supplemental aid equivalent rate as defined in section 256I.03, subdivision 5, plus the medical assistance personal needs allowance as defined in section 256B.35, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), when applying posteligibility treatment of income rules to the gross income of elderly waiver recipients, except for individuals whose income is in excess of the special income standard according to Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 435.236.

(b) The commissioner of human services shall secure approval of additional elderly waiver slots sufficient to serve persons who will qualify under the revised income standard described in paragraph (a) before implementing section 256B.0913, subdivision 16.

Subd. 2. Spousal impoverishment policies. The commissioner shall seek to amend the federal waiver and the medical assistance state plan to allow spousal impoverishment criteria as authorized under United States Code, title 42, section 1396r-5, and as implemented in sections 256B.0575, 256B.058, and 256B.059, except that the amendment shall seek to add to the personal needs allowance permitted in section 256B.0575, an amount equivalent to the group residential housing rate as set by section 256I.03, subdivision 5.

Subd. 3. Limits of cases, rates, reimbursement, and forecasting. (a) The number of medical assistance waiver recipients that a county may serve must be allocated according to the number of medical assistance waiver cases open on July 1 of each fiscal year. Additional recipients may be served with the approval of the commissioner.

(b) The monthly limit for the cost of waivered services to an individual waiver client shall be the statewide average payment rate of the case mix resident class to which the waiver client would be assigned under the medical assistance case mix reimbursement system. If medical supplies and equipment or adaptations are or will be purchased for an elderly waiver services recipient, the costs may be prorated on a monthly basis throughout the year in which they are purchased. If the monthly cost of a recipient's other waivered services exceeds the monthly limit established in this paragraph, the annual cost of the waivered services shall be determined. In this event, the annual cost of waivered services shall not exceed 12 times the monthly limit calculated in this paragraph. The statewide average payment rate is calculated by determining the statewide average monthly nursing home rate, effective July 1 of the fiscal year in which the cost is incurred, less the statewide average monthly income of nursing home residents who are age 65 or older, and who are medical assistance recipients in the month of March of the previous state fiscal year. The annual cost divided by 12 of elderly or disabled waivered services for a person who is a nursing facility resident at the time of requesting a determination of eligibility for elderly or disabled waivered services shall be the greater of the monthly payment for: (i) the resident class assigned under Minnesota Rules, parts 9549.0050 to 9549.0059, for that resident in the nursing facility where the resident currently resides; or (ii) the statewide average payment of the case mix resident class to which the resident would be assigned under the medical assistance case mix reimbursement system, provided that the limit under this clause only applies to persons discharged from a nursing facility and found eligible for waivered services on or after July 1, 1997. The following costs must be included in determining the total monthly costs for the waiver client:

(1) cost of all waivered services, including extended medical supplies and equipment; and

(2) cost of skilled nursing, home health aide, and personal care services reimbursable by medical assistance.

(c) Medical assistance funding for skilled nursing services, private duty nursing, home health aide, and personal care services for waiver recipients must be approved by the case manager and included in the individual care plan.

(d) For both the elderly waiver and the nursing facility disabled waiver, a county may purchase extended supplies and equipment without prior approval from the commissioner when there is no other funding source and the supplies and equipment are specified in the individual's care plan as medically necessary to enable the individual to remain in the community according to the criteria in Minnesota Rules, part 9505.0210, items A and B. A county is not required to contract with a provider of supplies and equipment if the monthly cost of the supplies and equipment is less than $250.

(e) For the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 1993, and for subsequent fiscal years, the commissioner of human services shall not provide automatic annual inflation adjustments for home and community-based waivered services. The commissioner of finance shall include as a budget change request in each biennial detailed expenditure budget submitted to the legislature under section 16A.11, annual adjustments in reimbursement rates for home and community-based waivered services, based on the forecasted percentage change in the Home Health Agency Market Basket of Operating Costs, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, compared to the previous fiscal year, unless otherwise adjusted by statute. The Home Health Agency Market Basket of Operating Costs is published by Data Resources, Inc. The forecast to be used is the one published for the calendar quarter beginning January 1, six months prior to the beginning of the fiscal year for which rates are set. The adult foster care rate shall be considered a difficulty of care payment and shall not include room and board.

(f) The adult foster care daily rate for the elderly and disabled waivers shall be negotiated between the county agency and the foster care provider. The rate established under this section shall not exceed the state average monthly nursing home payment for the case mix classification to which the individual receiving foster care is assigned; the rate must allow for other waiver and medical assistance home care services to be authorized by the case manager.

(g) The assisted living and residential care service rates for elderly and community alternatives for disabled individuals (CADI) waivers shall be made to the vendor as a monthly rate negotiated with the county agency based on an individualized service plan for each resident. The rate shall not exceed the nonfederal share of the greater of either the statewide or any of the geographic groups' weighted average monthly medical assistance nursing facility payment rate of the case mix resident class to which the elderly or disabled client would be assigned under Minnesota Rules, parts 9549.0050 to 9549.0059, unless the services are provided by a home care provider licensed by the department of health and are provided in a building that is registered as a housing with services establishment under chapter 144D and that provides 24-hour supervision. For alternative care assisted living projects established under Laws 1988, chapter 689, article 2, section 256, monthly rates may not exceed 65 percent of the greater of either the statewide or any of the geographic groups' weighted average monthly medical assistance nursing facility payment rate for the case mix resident class to which the elderly or disabled client would be assigned under Minnesota Rules, parts 9549.0050 to 9549.0059. The rate may not cover direct rent or food costs.

(h) The county shall negotiate individual rates with vendors and may be reimbursed for actual costs up to the greater of the county's current approved rate or 60 percent of the maximum rate in fiscal year 1994 and 65 percent of the maximum rate in fiscal year 1995 for each service within each program.

(i) On July 1, 1993, the commissioner shall increase the maximum rate for home-delivered meals to $4.50 per meal.

(j) Reimbursement for the medical assistance recipients under the approved waiver shall be made from the medical assistance account through the invoice processing procedures of the department's Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), only with the approval of the client's case manager. The budget for the state share of the Medicaid expenditures shall be forecasted with the medical assistance budget, and shall be consistent with the approved waiver.

(k) Beginning July 1, 1991, the state shall reimburse counties according to the payment schedule in section 256.025 for the county share of costs incurred under this subdivision on or after January 1, 1991, for individuals who are receiving medical assistance.

(l) For the community alternatives for disabled individuals waiver, and nursing facility disabled waivers, county may use waiver funds for the cost of minor adaptations to a client's residence or vehicle without prior approval from the commissioner if there is no other source of funding and the adaptation:

(1) is necessary to avoid institutionalization;

(2) has no utility apart from the needs of the client; and

(3) meets the criteria in Minnesota Rules, part 9505.0210, items A and B.

For purposes of this subdivision, "residence" means the client's own home, the client's family residence, or a family foster home. For purposes of this subdivision, "vehicle" means the client's vehicle, the client's family vehicle, or the client's family foster home vehicle.

(m) The commissioner shall establish a maximum rate unit for baths provided by an adult day care provider that are not included in the provider's contractual daily or hourly rate. This maximum rate must equal the home health aide extended rate and shall be paid for baths provided to clients served under the elderly and disabled waivers.

Subd. 3a. Reimbursement rate; Anoka county. Notwithstanding subdivision 3, paragraph (h), effective January 1, 1996, Anoka county's maximum allowed rate for home health aide services per 15-minute unit is $4.43, and its maximum allowed rate for homemaker services per 15-minute unit is $2.93. Any adjustments in fiscal year 1997 to the maximum allowed rates for home health aide or homemaker services for Anoka county shall be calculated from the maximum rate in effect on January 1, 1996.

Subd. 3b. Reimbursement rate; Aitkin county. Notwithstanding subdivision 3, paragraph (h), effective April 1, 1996, Aitkin county's maximum allowed rate for in-home respite care services is $6.67 per 30-minute unit. Any adjustments in fiscal year 1997 to the maximum allowed rate for in-home respite care services for Aitkin county shall be calculated from the maximum rate in effect on April 1, 1996.

Subd. 3c. Reimbursement rate; Polk and Pennington counties. Notwithstanding subdivision 3, paragraph (h), effective July 1, 1996, Polk and Pennington counties' maximum allowed rate for homemaker services is $6.25 per 30-minute unit. Any adjustments in fiscal year 1997 to the maximum allowed rate for homemaker services for Polk and Pennington counties shall be calculated from the maximum rate in effect on July 1, 1996.

Subd. 4. Termination notice. The case manager must give the individual a ten-day written notice of any decrease in or termination of waivered services.

Subd. 5. Reassessments for waiver clients. A reassessment of a client served under the elderly or disabled waiver must be conducted at least every 12 months and at other times when the case manager determines that there has been significant change in the client's functioning. This may include instances where the client is discharged from the hospital.

Subd. 6. Implementation of care plan. If the county administering waivered services is different than the county of financial responsibility, the care plan may be implemented without the approval of the county of financial responsibility.

Subd. 7. Prepaid elderly waiver services. An individual for whom a prepaid health plan is liable for nursing home services or elderly waiver services according to section 256B.69, subdivision 6a, is not eligible to receive county-administered elderly waiver services under this section.

HIST: 1991 c 292 art 7 s 16; 1992 c 513 art 7 s 62-64; 1Sp1993 c 1 art 5 s 68-72; 1Sp1993 c 6 s 13; 1995 c 207 art 6 s 70-74; 1995 c 263 s 9; 1996 c 451 art 2 s 26-28; art 5 s 23,24; 1997 c 113 s 18; 1997 c 203 art 4 s 40-43

* NOTE: Subdivision 7, as added by Laws 1997, chapter 203, *article 4, section 43, is effective July 1, 1999. Laws 1997, *chapter 203, article 4, section 74.

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